Several local communities that do business with Sterling Heights-based Rizzo Environmental Services Inc. saw political upheaval or turnover in last week's election.

But local officials and experts say it's too early for the trash hauler's assistance in an FBI public corruption investigation to have had much impact. More likely, the big political fallout is yet to come.

Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds and Macomb Township Trustee Clifford Freitas, the only officials charged so far in the case, are leaving office after Reynolds lost 58 percent to 42 percent Tuesday in a bid to unseat Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon. Freitas wasn't on Tuesday's ballot after finishing behind newcomer Timothy Bussineau in the Aug. 2 primary, which decides many elections in the highly Republican township, before he was even charged.

But the FBI has said the charges are "part of an ongoing and long-running investigation into systemic corruption in multiple municipalities in Southeast Michigan, primarily Macomb County" — suggesting that at least one future indictment could follow against an official elsewhere in the region.

The investigation also involves at least three businesses, including Rizzo Environmental and likely its ex-CEO, Charles Rizzo Jr. The latter resigned in late October after Toronto-based Green for Life, or GFL Environmental Inc., acquired Rizzo on Sept. 30, in a deal valued around $300 million, and then learned of Rizzo Environmental's role in the long-running corruption investigation two weeks later.

Canton Township, which became a Rizzo customer in 2015 after the company acquired its municipal waste hauler, Canton Waste Recycling Inc., switches drastically from a 6-1 Republican majority to a 5-2 Democratic board after two incumbents were defeated Tuesday and two did not seek re-election.

Wayne County's Huron Township, which rescinded an Oct. 12 decision to switch haulers from Waste Management of Michigan to Rizzo the following week upon learning of Rizzo's role in the investigation, switched Tuesday from a 4-3 Democratic majority to a 6-1 Republican board, but two of the four departing incumbents had lost in August primary bids before the Macomb charges came.

Still, local officials point out that Republicans had a big night in several suburban elections, a trend that likely had more to do with Donald Trump's unexpected success in Michigan and anti-establishment sentiment than with Rizzo.

Anthony Marrocco, the Democratic public works commissioner of 24 years in Macomb County, also had a small Rizzo contract for dumpster service and lost to challenger and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, on Tuesday.

More than likely, the federal government made a calculated move in the first round of the corruption case to avoid making ripples in the election, said Andrew Arena, executive director of the nonprofit Detroit Crime Commission and a former special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit office.

"They're going to weigh all the factors, and put a lot of thought into it. You really don't want to generally affect an election either way," he said. "You are, after all, innocent until proven guilty, and that can be a concern if someone is found innocent, after you've already cost them their political position."

That is likely why a widespread corruption investigation began in court with two non-supervisor township trustees, one already voted out of office and one already unlikely to remain on the board next year, Arena and others said. But in the coming months, other charges may target other officials with much better political prospects in future elections.

Going away almost as quickly as post-election yard signs will be the Rizzo brand, said Joseph Munem, director of government affairs and public relations for GFL Environmental USA Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of GFL created by the Rizzo purchase.

The company has already covered the Rizzo name with a GFL banner at its Sterling Heights subsidiary headquarters, and will fit all Rizzo garbage collection trucks with temporary GFL banners by the end of the month. A more permanent refit, including painting all red Rizzo trucks in GFL's green with new signs, is underway but will take closer to a year, Munem said.

"That transition will take longer, because these trucks are working," he said. "It takes about nine or 10 days to do an entire refit."

Munem also noted that GFL Environmental hasn't actually lost any contracts since the FBI probe became public and even gained two new ones, in Dearborn Heights and Richmond Township, as GFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi has been meeting with community leaders and assuring them of continued service.

Rizzo isn't the only business involved in the corruption case.

While the FBI hasn't acknowledged that Rizzo is the "Company A" who employed "Cooperating Human Source 1" assisting the government in its case against Freitas and Reynolds, the company itself acknowledges it is cooperating with the probe. Clinton Township officials have said Rizzo is the only company that landed a contract approaching the $18 million deal referenced in an Oct. 12 criminal complaint against Reynolds.

But a subsequent grand jury indictment brought Nov. 2 accuses Reynolds of taking $16,000 from a "Company C" to influence township business between 2009 and 2013, and another $6,000 from a "Company B" in March of this year, in two of its eight felony charges. The other six charges all reference either the company believed to be Rizzo or payments from an undercover FBI agent.

Rizzo also maintained a political action committee, Rizzo Environmental Services PAC, funded largely with donations from Chuck Rizzo Jr., that gave to campaign committees across the region. In the past year, they've included $15,000 for Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, $12,000 to Candice Miller, more than $4,000 for Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, at least $2,500 each to Marrocco and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, and at least $1,000 for Freitas.

Hackel said he already refunded the money his candidate committee received from the Rizzo PAC about two weeks ago, after learning of its role in the FBI case.

"There's a big difference between a campaign donation and a bribe. And what is being alleged in the Justice Department case involves personal bribes," Hackel said last week.

"And giving a donation back isn't an indication that you did something wrong, it's an indication of how you want to manage your own affairs and handle any potential association."

Hackel also said the strong voter rejection of Marrocco, Reynolds and several incumbent Democratic officeholders in his county was likely an expression of voter frustration. He did not think the investigation into Rizzo was a major election factor.

"Trump did very well here, but Bernie Sanders also did extremely well. … People are reacting to the ways of traditional politics. There's just fatigue."